"????"
Xie Yingying blinked, her eyes widening as she was momentarily stunned into a profound silence. Even after all the decades they had spent together, Su Min still managed to catch her completely off guard with her sudden bursts of absurdity. What in the world was this so-called Cower and Cover Technique? It sounded like the pathetic name of a cowardly mortal martial art, something a peasant would use to hide from a village bully.
And then, to Xie Yingying's utter disbelief, Su Min—the woman who rarely bothered with even a pretense of feminine charm or standard etiquette—tilted her head. She batted her long eyelashes in an exaggerated, theatrical show of cuteness that looked entirely out of place on a cultivator who could level mountains.
A shiver, which was equal parts exasperation and a reluctant, fond amusement, ran down Xie Yingying's spine. She felt her face heating up, her instincts warring with the sheer ridiculousness of the display. Had Su Min always been this ridiculous, or had spending so much time together finally rubbed off on her in the strangest and most unpredictable ways?
"Remember," Su Min said with an air of false sagacity, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she wagged a finger as if she were imparting ancient, forbidden wisdom to a disciple, "when you willingly accept your own weakness, you become truly—"
"Ugh—" Xie Yingying couldn't bear to hear another word of this nonsense. The sound she made was a strangled mix of a groan and a huff.
But before Su Min could finish her sentence, a soft, freshly steamed bun—warm and smelling of sweet yeast—was unceremoniously shoved into her open mouth. The white dough squished against Su Min's cheeks, effectively cutting off her lecture.
"Cough, cough… Are you trying to make me the first Golden Core cultivator in history to die from choking on a bun?" Su Min sputtered after a moment. She pulled the bun from her lips, her face dusted with a bit of flour.
"You wouldn't die even if I slit your throat. And stop talking such utter nonsense," Xie Yingying retorted. She crossed her arms over her chest, though a trace of a smile threatened to break through her stern facade. She watched Su Min with a gaze that lingered just a second too long on the other woman's lips.
"Tch." Su Min shrugged helplessly, taking a large, defiant bite of the bun. Her mindset had always been solid and resilient. She was a transmigrator who viewed the world with a player's detached logic; she would never make the same prideful mistakes as the NPCs who surrounded them.
She thought of that so-called 'son with the potential of an emperor' she had heard tales of back in the province. That boy had actually been following the classic script of a certain 'Eternal Defeat' archetype, amassing power through loss. But the moment he suffered a single, crushing, and truly humiliating loss at the hands of a superior foe, his precious Dao Heart had shattered completely, proving its fundamental fragility.
"Prepare yourself seriously for the Heavenly Ranking," Xie Yingying said. Her tone turned earnest, and she stepped closer, her cool presence a stark contrast to Su Min's internal fire. "Even though staying in the top five is already an impressive feat, the higher your final rank, the greater the opportunities you might receive from the Avenue itself."
"Opportunities?" Su Min blinked in genuine confusion, her mouth still half-full of bun. This was news to her. The massive lifespan reward was all she had been focused on during her planning.
"You will understand once you break into the top five. The legends say that in the current and unique environment, the rewards are—"
Before Xie Yingying could finish her explanation, a brilliant golden light erupted from the floor, enveloping Su Min in a pillar of radiance. In an instant, her body vanished from the depths of the secret realm, summoned by the inescapable laws of the ranking to her first match.
"—she is much stronger now than she lets on," Xie Yingying finished her sentence to the empty air.
Watching the space where Su Min had just been standing, Xie Yingying could only swallow her remaining words. She felt the familiar, magnetic pull in her chest, a phantom sensation that urged her to follow the sun.
Soon after, a faint and similar glow surrounded her as well. She didn't resist. She too vanished from the room, her consciousness drawn to the spectator stands as the Heavenly Ranking granted her the right to observe.
The next moment, she found her awareness seated in what looked like a vast and ethereal arena. The architecture was made of solidified light, and she was surrounded by figures whose translucent bodies flickered faintly like ghosts in a graveyard.
Clearly, this was the spectator stand. Everyone here existed only as a wisp of divine sense, observers granted a front-row seat by the power of the Heavenly Ranking. Under the absolute suppression of the Golden Core Heavenly Ranking's laws, none of them could act, speak to the combatants, or interfere in the slightest.
All eyes were fixed on the central stage below, where two figures stood in a tense and silent confrontation. The ground of the stage was a flat expanse of grey jade that seemed to absorb the golden light from above.
"Tsk, tsk. One is the rare and ancient Five Elements Holy Body, while the other, Luo Changshui, is no slouch either. He happens to be from my era."
A young man in the crowd, who was clearly fond of gossip and had a voice that carried, spoke up. The spectators came from a dozen different eras, spanning nearly ten thousand years of history. It's only thanks to the special sealing crystals that they could gather here in this specific era. For two people from the same era to make it this far and be matched together was truly unexpected.
"That Luo Changshui was born with grand celestial phenomena. At the moment of his birth, the massive phantom of the gluttonous beast, Taotie, appeared in the clouds above his house. That very day, numerous mighty experts from across the continent fought fiercely for the right to take him as their disciple. Guess what happened?"
The crowd perked up at the story, their translucent ears straining to hear more. Some of the more irritable cultivators even shot threatening looks at the speaker. If he was going to talk, he had better finish the tale—no one liked a cliffhanger when the match was about to start.
"Alright, alright, I will speak!"
Under the pressure of their collective stares, the man coughed awkwardly and continued.
"Seven mighty experts battled for seven days and nights, their techniques lighting up the sky. Eventually, even some ancient powerhouses who had been in seclusion joined in. In the end, the strongest sect with the deepest foundations won the prize.
And Luo Changshui lived up to every bit of their expectations. He began his body tempering at age three, reached Qi Refinement at ten, and Foundation Establishment at fifteen. By twenty, while he was still in the Foundation Establishment stage, he slew three Golden Core cultivators in a row, shaking the world with his talent. Sadly, his sect elders foresaw the Great Tribulation and sealed him away to preserve their legacy."
At this, the man let out a long sigh. Such achievements were truly awe-inspiring to those who had struggled for every inch of progress.
Xie Yingying nodded slightly in agreement from her seat. Every one of these people was a once-in-an-era prodigy, a monster among men. She herself had once slain a Golden Core cultivator during her youth, though that opponent had been relatively weak and lacked a solid foundation.
"He was awakened about twenty years after the Golden Core Avenue opened, having survived the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulations with his soul intact."
"Tch. Someone like him would dominate any other era. It's just unfortunate for him that there are too many monsters like him gathered here now."
The speaker was a loose cultivator who had survived the Six-Nine Heavenly Tribulations. With no special background or sect support, he had clawed his way up through the ranks in his own remote corner of the world. Fortunately, his region had no established sects, allowing him to monopolize the local resources and reign supreme like a king.
After barely surviving the Six-Nine Heavenly Tribulations at great personal cost, he had thought he would finally make a name for himself within the Golden Core Avenue. But upon arriving here, he realized what it truly meant to encounter someone beyond oneself, a realm beyond one's own comprehension.
This place was filled with ancient legacies. It's packed with cultivators from distant ages who had been sealed at the peak of their glory within Heaven-Sealing Crystals, waiting for this very moment to awaken. Now, he struggled even to qualify for a spot on the Golden Core Heavenly Ranking.
"And yet, he is only ranked in the thirties on the Tianjiao list."
"Just what kind of monsters are tucked away in the top ten?"
"Who knows? That woman and the Lunar Sovereign Body both come from a place called the Eastern Mulberry Land. But none of us even know where that is on the map. It must be a hidden land of extraordinary talents."
"Quiet! The golden barrier is about to fade. The battle is starting. Though Luo Changshui has an impressive background, that woman holds two divine artifacts. Who knows how terrifying she really is when she stops hiding?"
The crowd held their breath as the golden barrier around the stage began to dissipate into motes of light. The Heavenly Ranking wasn't entirely accurate in its assessments, but everyone knew that anyone in the top ten was unimaginably strong. Han Chaoyan, who was publicly ranked third, owed his high position to the Netherworld Ghostwater, which perfectly complemented his innate Tengshe talents.
With just one divine artifact, he had crushed countless other prodigies. What kind of monster, then, was Su Min, who wielded two of them simultaneously?
Moreover, the Five Elements Holy Body was shrouded in a deeper mystery than even the Lunar Sovereign, Solar Sovereign, or Great Desolate physiques. The records of its full potential were sparse and contradictory.
As for the truth? Only Su Min knew.
Not only was the birth of this physique incredibly rare, but activating its true layers was near-impossible for a normal cultivator. Su Min had started her journey as a mere mortal. It's only with the direct help of the Nanming Lihuo that she had awakened the initial Blazing Sun Body. But that was just the surface level. The true power of the Five Elements Holy Body had only begun to manifest after she obtained the Eastern Azure Wood.
On the Stage
Su Min stood calmly in the center of the grey jade, her mind already calculating the cards in her hand. The air around her was cold, but it didn't bother her.
The Vermilion Bird inheritance was no longer a secret to the public; her use of the divine flame was already widely known and documented. The specifics of her Azure Dragon inheritance, however, remained hidden from the world's eyes, as did her Earth-grade treasures and her other trump cards.
"No need to reveal everything at once. Take things step by step and play your cards one at a time."
With that thought, a set of moon-white armor materialized around her in a flash of light. Crimson energy surged forth from her pores, enveloping her like a deity of war. Her black hair began to lengthen and shift, turning into a brilliant, snowy white that contrasted sharply with the red aura.
"So beautiful… She looks completely different from those ordinary women from the sects."
"In terms of looks alone, some mortals might come close. But the aura of a high-level cultivator is something else entirely. It's a presence that demands worship."
Whispers spread through the spectator stands like wildfire. While some mortal beauties might rival her in simple appearance, none could compare to her sheer presence.
Female cultivators were already rare in the higher echelons, and powerful ones were even more so. Over ninety percent of those who had entered the Golden Core Avenue were men. And now, with her snow-white hair flowing in the spiritual wind and her fiery red pupils glowing with power, many of the men found themselves entranced.
In the stands, Xie Yingying's eyes narrowed. She felt a sharp prickle of jealousy at the way the other cultivators were looking at Su Min. Her fingers curled into the stone of her seat, her Taiyin Qi swirling protectively. Su Min was hers, and these people didn't even have the right to look.
"Why is Nanming Lihuo so overpowered? My water-based spiritual power is evaporating before it even leaves my body!"
While others admired her beauty, Luo Changshui's heart was pounding in a rhythm of pure terror. To him, Su Min didn't look like a woman; she looked like an ancient beast made of primordial flames. Water was supposed to suppress fire according to every law of nature, yet his own spiritual energy felt like it was boiling away just by being in her presence. The air between them hissed with the sound of steam.
"Legends say the Taotie's power can devour heaven and earth. Let's see how much of it you can actually wield. Show me your Dharma Idol!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Su Min's hands moved in a frantic flurry of complex seals. In the next instant, a fiery bird dozens of meters long materialized in the sky above her. It let out a piercing cry that shook the arena. Even the spectators outside the barrier felt an unbearable heat—it wasn't just a physical temperature. This was a flame that could burn even the soul and the mind.
"The legacy flame of the Four Symbols… A fire that scorches the spirit itself."
"Four Fiends versus Four Symbols. This will be an interesting clash."
Everyone widened their eyes, eager to see the outcome of the first major fight. Su Min's mystique was second only to Xie Yingying's, meaning her true limits were still unknown to the public. Many watched closely, wondering if they might have the misfortune of facing her in the next round.
"Taotie Divine Soul—Devour Heaven and Earth!"
Luo Changshui roared, his face turning a sickly grey. In an instant, a dark, void-like light erupted from his back, swallowing not just the scorching heat but even the golden light of the arena itself. A massive, grotesque head with a gaping maw appeared behind him, its eyes two pits of nothingness.
"A fragment of the Taotie's soul?!"
Gasps rang out from the stands. Since when had he hidden such a terrifying trump card? A mere inheritance was one thing, but a remnant soul of an ancient fiend was on another level of danger entirely. It's a parasitic power that granted immense strength.
"This guy might actually be able to contend for the top ten. That Taotie soul is terrifying. If Miss Su only uses the strength she showed during the Azure Dragon trial, she is in serious trouble."
Many in the crowd silently agreed. Who would have thought someone ranked in the thirties possessed a remnant of an ancient, world-eating fiend?
"First match and it's already a tough one. As expected, no one who makes it this far is simple. I'm looking forward to this."
Despite the crushing pressure from the ancient fiend's remnant, Su Min merely smiled. She had once faced the Azure Dragon's own pressure within her consciousness during her refinement. Compared to that regal, divine weight, this Taotie was nothing but a common worm writhing in the dirt.
The Four Fiends might share fame with the Four Symbols in some texts, but the latter were unique entities, acknowledged and empowered by the laws of heaven and earth themselves. The so-called 'fiends' were merely titles born of their destructive natures, and their greater numbers only made them more widely known among the lower-level cultivators.
But so what?
With a simple thought, the Vermilion Bird above her opened its beak. It unleashed a torrent of white-hot flames straight at the approaching fiend.
"Devour!!!"
Luo Changshui didn't dare hold back for even a second. This remnant soul was something he had obtained from a dangerous ancient ruin, and it was now bound to his very being. Unlike Su Min's abilities, which could be used explosively and then discarded, his power was tied directly to his life force.
Under his desperate control, the Taotie's massive maw opened wide, looking like a black hole in the fabric of space. It's ready to swallow the divine flames whole and convert them into raw energy for its master.
What truly worried Luo Changshui wasn't the Nanming Lihuo itself. Though it was powerful, both he and the Taotie remnant were water-aligned, and the remnant's original strength had reached the Spirit Transformation stage at the very least.
Su Min was only at the late Golden Core stage. He believed he could suppress the flame through sheer elemental volume. No, what he truly feared was the Eastern Azure Wood. Water nurtured wood, and facing a wood-attribute expert with water energy was always a troublesome affair.
But then—
"Huh?"
He froze in place. Su Min's cold chuckle reached his ears, sounding as sharp as a blade. It's followed by two simple words:
"Boom."
Before he could react or even blink, blood sprayed from his mouth in a violent crimson arc. The massive Taotie remnant behind him trembled violently, its dark form flickering. Their souls were linked through a blood contract, and the moment the remnant was hurt, he felt the pain a hundredfold.
"An illusion? No… It felt scorching, but why is it wood-attribute?!"
Realization struck him like a physical blow to the chest. Nanming Lihuo was supposed to be pure fire, so why did it carry the dense, growing properties of wood energy?
The Taotie could devour almost anything, but even the real beast had its limits. What was this strange, hybrid power?!
"Wait—the Five Elements Holy Body! So this is why it's called that… Close your mouth, now!"
But his command was given a second too late. The Taotie was already mid-swallow, its jaws locked open as it inhaled the energy. It's unable to shut its jaws in time to eject the trap. Su Min wouldn't give him the chance to recover.
"Go. Explode."
With her command, the Vermilion Bird plunged straight into the Taotie's gaping maw, its body expanding with a blinding light.
BOOM!!!!
A deafening explosion rocked the entire spiritual arena, the sound echoing through the souls of the spectators. A pillar of crimson and emerald light shot into the sky. Luo Changshui and the Taotie remnant vanished instantly from the stage, either removed by the Golden Core Great Dao's emergency protection or forced to forfeit as their simulated bodies were annihilated.
Silence, Then Chaos
The crowd erupted into a deafening roar of confusion and excitement.
No one understood exactly what had just happened in that final exchange. Su Min's attack was undeniably strong, but the water-aligned Taotie soul should have naturally countered and absorbed it. How had she won in a single, decisive move?
She hadn't even used the Azure Dragon inheritance or the full power of the Eastern Azure Wood.
So… what had she done?
===
"Son with the potential of an emperor" (有大帝之姿的儿子): Likely a reference to tropes in xianxia where young masters are hyped up but often fail spectacularly.
"Eternal Defeat" (乱古): Refers to the "Chaotic Ancient" archetype—a protagonist who loses constantly before a final rise.
Four Symbols (四象): The Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise—celestial guardians in Chinese myth.
Four Fiends (四凶): Malevolent beasts (Taotie, Hundun, Qiongqi, Taowu) often contrasted with the Four Symbols.